‘All night?’ she asked.
He nodded as he took the lasagne from the oven. A simple green salad had already been prepared.
He placed both dishes in the centre of the table, lit the candles and turned out the lights.
The darkness blocked out the rest of the kitchen, illuminating only the dining table and creating immediate intimacy.
‘Hmmm…’ Lynne said appreciatively.
He wasn’t sure if she was responding to the food or the scene he’d created.
‘Oooh, forgot the spatula,’ he said before he sat down.
Lynne burst out laughing. ‘Not even in my top ten of things you might say next,’ she said once her giggles had subsided. ‘But a man should never be without his spatula.’
Penn laughed along with her. He knew there were times that his social cues were not fully functioning, that he could easily misread subtleties and say inappropriate things, but Lynne had never made him feel uncomfortable or stupid or inadequate.
Lynne put her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her folded hands. His breath caught. Never had she looked more beautiful.
‘Nice job, Penn,’ she breathed.
Her hand reached across the table towards his. She took the spatula from his grip.
‘I’m bloody starving. Let’s dish up some food.’
He laughed as she dug in to the pasta and ferried a decent piece across to her plate. Humour had always played a huge part in their relationship, but he knew that something else was growing between them.
He was about to ask how her day had been when a knock sounded at the door, surprising them both.
‘Jasper?’ Lynne asked.
‘He has a key,’ Penn said, pushing back his chair.
It wasn’t the dead of night, but it was past the acceptable time for unannounced visitors.
The door knocked again.
‘Stacey?’ he said, surprised to see his colleague standing there.
‘Sorry, Penn. Devon was called in to work and we’re not supposed to be alone, so I’m trying to follow the rules, but I couldn’t go to my parents cos if Symes sees me do that… They’re old and I can’t put them in…’ Her words trailed away as she saw Lynne and the table behind him.
‘Oh shit. Oh sorry. Oh my goodness.’
‘Come in, Stace,’ he said, unable to leave her on the doorstep.
He closed the door.
‘Everything okay?’ Lynne asked as they entered the kitchen.
‘Yeah, sorry if I’ve interrupted something. Just needed a quick chat with Penn.’
‘I heard you say something about not being alone and trying to follow the rules. What’s going on?’
‘It’s umm…err…’ Penn stuttered.
‘Can’t say,’ Stacey offered weakly.
Lynne looked from one to the other. ‘I think I’m gonna go.’